Bickleton, Washington

How Bickleton is governed

Bickleton appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Klickitat County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Bickleton does have local officials.

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

      Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

  Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

    Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this

    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

bickleton.org

Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 99322 or everyone in Washington.

Population over time

From 113 in 2000 to 92 in 2020 (−18.6%).

History

Bickleton was first settled by Charles N. Bickle, who established a trading post and livery stable at the site. He also served as the area's first postmaster. In 1879, the town was named after Bickle. The town's economy was initially based largely on cattle ranching and wheat farming. A series of fires in 1937 and 1947 destroyed many of the town's original buildings.

The oldest surviving building in Bickleton is the Bluebird Inn, a tavern which first opened in 1882. It is billed as the oldest functioning tavern in the state, although it has changed ownership numerous times and operated under different names throughout its history. The tavern includes a 1903 Brunswick pool table, which is still used by regulars.

The town has held an annual picnic and rodeo continuously since 1910. The festival also features a 1905 Herschell-Spillman carousel, which the town purchased from Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon, in 1928.

Bluebirds

Bickleton is known as the bluebird capital of the world. In the 1960s, Jess and Elva Brinkerhoff were picnicking in this small town after coming from nearby Richland and put a can in a tree for some birds. It became a local fad, and now there are thousands of birdhouses purposely built to house bluebirds.

Both the mountain bluebird and the western bluebird nest in Bickleton. Maintaining the houses by cleaning old nests is a major task for the local residents. It is funded by profits from bluebird souvenirs sold to tourists at Whitmore's Whoop-n-Holler Ranch Museum.

Two volunteers from Portland, Oregon, Patti Bright and Amy Sills, have been assisting in replacing some of the more dilapidated birdhouses in July 2026. They noticed over the years the birdhouses falling apart due to weather and neglect. After securing approval from the residents, they began replacing, doing 24 in July and 37 more ready for October 2026. The houses and materials were sourced from an Amazon wishlist, many donated by the city residents.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

All Washington cities →